Hey buddy, it's more common than you think. My friend in HR even shared with me, that they are encouraged to put up vacancies even if they intend to hire internally, and don't take down too soon. This gives Singaporeans the impression that theres plenty of jobs, just keep trying. Of coz, our media can also report inflated statistics of jobs.

Recruiters are famous for two stunts.. 1. Revert with completely different job hoping you failed to recognize. 2. Sounding overly positive then vanish.

Company HR, generally if you don't hear from them within the week, also means no chance.

How to overcome? Do up resume and cover properly. This unlocks the door to walk in. If one cannot be bothered to advertise, one is not truly desperate. This is a general statement not shooting you. If you can CSI the HR Did even better. This demonstrates resourcefulness.

Commit to set aside 1 hour each day to check all the portals. Sending within 3 days of posting is much better than just before deadline. Managers will call within a week and just delete the rest. They only need 1 person yah.

Pull strings with friends, family, no matter how distant. Everyone was happy to let me reference them as they know how important a job is. Received some sarcasm but... Just swallow pride.

So far these worked for me.